THAILAND RATTLED BY NEW COVID OUTBREAK

After managing against the odds to keep the coronavirus largely in check for most of the year, Thailand has suddenly found itself challenged by an expanding outbreak among migrant workers on the doorstep of the capital, Bangkok, Grant Peck and Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The surge of cases in Samut Sakhon province threatens to undo months of efforts to contain the virus and hasten recovery of Thailand’s ailing economy.

Cases related to the outbreak have already been found in more than a dozen other provinces, including Bangkok. Officials in the capital ordered existing safety measures, such as social distancing, mask wearing and checking for fevers, to be more strictly observed at markets, temples, parks and entertainment venues.

Contact tracing has found suspected cases for testing as well as areas to be disinfected. At a mall in central Bangkok’s popular Siam Square shopping area, three shops visited by a Thai woman who tested positive were temporarily closed for deep cleaning, as was a food court at the nearby MBK mall.

The new wave of coronavirus cases abroad already means Thailand’s economic rebound will be slowed as the world economy will take longer to recover, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said in a televised speech Tuesday evening.

“What we have seen now is that being too relaxed about COVID precaution measures can lead to greater economic suffering,” he said.

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